


As Above, So Below

by QuietAssumption



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fellswap (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Dubious Science, Gen, Magic and Science, Other, Politics, Profanity, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:33:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28606023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietAssumption/pseuds/QuietAssumption
Summary: "Devastating is not the adjective Sans would use to describe this human: a nuisance and slippery, yes; devastating: no. The human in front of him was not what he imagined a devastating human would act or even look like. Unfortunately, he was still tasked with gaining as much information about the human’s mannerisms as possible. Anything that would be deemed useful for the initiable exodus from the Underground. Thus, the constant checks either he or an underling preformed. The last time he debriefed Undyne she salivated at the information. He could have lived his life without hearing her slurp her saliva."
Kudos: 2





	As Above, So Below

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So, this is my first official work that I have somewhat planed out and posting. My main goal for this is to explore the magic system headcanon that I've developed with input from my roommate. Second goal is to explore the possible political structures that Fellswap/Swapfell are usually depicted with, which is going to be interesting since I've seen different iterations from different sides of the political spectrum. Constructive criticism in reference to technical writing skills and format are highly welcomed, as well as, dialogue on the magic system and political structures I'll be attempting to describe.

Of all the fucked-up shit she’s seen and done to get to this point, a killer DJ robot is a welcome reprieve. The sci-fi movie industry, A-list, B-list, D-list have prepared her for this twisted mockery of a Killer Robot’s Underground’s got Talent. She was surrounded by three guards with spear and axes, contained off stage right. Though she was unbound, having a captain of their police, military authority force-something-or-another standing next to her negated any perceived freedom. The Captain, Sans, that was the name she heard whispered about, was not the tallest of stature, clothing near impeccably starched and pressed. The only part that she could relate to were the hems of his pants and his once polished shoes. Maneuvering through that water biome did not leave her with cleaner clothing and he was hot on her tail. Sacrifices were made.

Going through the different biomes, was sheer dumb luck and an ounce of bookworm tendencies. She patted herself on the back for making better life choses a few years ago. It made hiding in trees, bouldering along the river’s edge, treading water, and dodging falling rock feasible. Through these wacky biomes she managed to illude capture until reaching “the floor is lava” level. With lava to the left of her, lava to the right, and the impeccably dressed skeleton and his underlings behind her, she attempted to sprint her way through. It worked for maybe a few minutes until she bumped into that fucking miser of a candle. Getting around his minion motes of fire was near impossible. Only reason why she did was because the guard fucked up and distracted flameboy, letting her to slip away.

In the end, she was captured, a rather anti climatic end for a chase she thought was up there with the _French Connection_ or the _Italian Job_ , and maybe, just maybe, the _Blues Brothers_. Apparently, in the end, she doesn’t get away, and she doesn’t get the girl-person-monster…love interest. A shame really, the monster right next to her had a really fine skeletal structure and zygomatic arches to die for…or on, with how sharp they are. It’s been a few hours since then and her limbs were minutely shaking, and a stress headache was forming behind her eye. She reached the adrenaline drop and the lack of rest and sustenance was making her many aches, pains, injuries, strains known. Quite loudly known was her right ankle. Not quite a sprain, but almost one. Skele-bae probably noticed her propensity of favoring her left foot for some time. Hard to discern the passage of time when her watch took a rock to the face. And hard to discern the passage of time when the overhead music being played throughout the concert hall sounded the same. Like really nothing changed, was it the same song on repeat?

Unfocused eyes followed the stagehands as they worked. The bustle of the stagehands was grating. Lights flickered and cycled through different lenses. Ladders or other metal like objects screeched, clacked, and thud against each other. With the cacophony of noise from the workers along with the damn techno music made her head - **_BAMB_** _-slide!_ Even through her exhaustion she gave a flinch. A heavy crate somewhere around here sounded like it was thrown. Workers were being pressured to get things set up quickly. This caused some carelessness in the handling of objects. Things being tossed around and thrown into each other is a recipe for disaster. In true fashion, a crash of something fragile was heard. Internally she liked to think that the stoic captain was having an internal conniption with the lack of order and discipline going about. Yelling and clamoring of different levels of workers almost made it comical that their group was the eye of the storm. A quick side eye confirmed that the captain was not happy, somehow his face was pinched and harsher. The half a brain cell not dedicated to surviving itched to figure out how bone or bone like structure was malleable. There’s a name for that disease in humans, having soft bones. Unfortunately, that thought only ran on half a brain cell.

 ** _BAMB_** , went another heavy crate hitting the slim table next to the wall the guards and Skele-bae corralled her with. The exertion of an outside force caused the tablecloth to slip exposing crates underneath. The crates said “ONLY USE FOR TNT / ANY OTHER USE IS PROHIBITED BY NTT HOLDINGS” it’s not only humans using milk…or TNT crates, for other purposes. In a fortuitous show of luck, it was crates full of food stuff. A quick swipe at one of the plastic bottles earned her scowls and pointy things shifting in her general direction. The beginning of a sound left Skele-bae but was silenced by the _Crack_ of the seal and a quick sniff. In a fantastic show of muscle control and bad decisions she tilted her head back and held the water bottle at her mouth with the palm holding the bottle raised upwards and crushed the water down her throat. Within three seconds she inhaled the water before the guards could move. She liked to pretend that the lack of comments or sounds meant her entourage was stunned into silence. Probably more like apathetic appraisal as she hovered the crushed water bottle over her open mouth letting any remaining water drip down. 

“Haa~, water relief. Been thirsty ever since that water biome.” She made the comment not expecting a verbal response, maybe a physical one, but nothing. “Some asshole, used up all the water in the dispenser and didn’t change out the jug. Don’t you just lava it when people don’t replace what they use up? My shitty co-workers-”

“Quiet.” Came the graveled response accompanied by a sneer worthy of a pureblood.

“Mm-kay, Skele-bae.” She winked and toasted the crushed plastic in his direction.

Well, lookie here! She was wrong, that sneer is worthy of being on a bigoted asshole that believes they’re better than everyone else. Impressive. Too bad she hasn’t had any fucks to give way before she got into this chaos of totalitarian-dictator-communist Monarchy something or another. Only had the slightest of inklings on the politics of the area, but nothing concrete.

Bae, continued his sneer as he returned to facing the front in parade rest. She usually didn’t dig the military type, but that uniform looked metal as fuck. With the black and red accents. Yeah, that was her type of military dress. Her musings were cut short, with a bombastic introduction of their most gracious host: Napstablook. Coifed white hair, gleaming silver body, stylish techno hip hop inspired clothing; yep, someone is an anime fan down here. Whoever made this fine specimen of robotic technological prowess was most definitely inspired by bishie characters.

“Why, isn’t it Captain Sans Serif! Coming all this way to visit me, Napstablook.” Levitating hands drifted away from the torso to give the illusion of outstretched hands.

“I’m not here for pleasure, Comrade Napstablook.” Captain Sans Serif said with a straight and even tone. Maybe he really doesn’t care, maybe he’s hiding a kernel of something. His sentences are short and to the point like his stature. On the short side but definitely a poignant presence in the room. Near effortless. Unlike Napstablook who seizes attention with a flamboyant act forcing people to pay attention. Captain Sans Serif just enters the room, says nothing, and has command.

“Mm- yes, you’re unfortunately never here for pleasure. It’s been quite some time since you last purchased a ticket for one of my concerts, or my productions, or game shows, or anything I do. Captain, this trend only makes me think you don’t like me anymore.” A faux disappointed look took ahold of a surprisingly very malleable face. She was entranced at the exceptionally fine micro expressions that metal could apparently convey.

Captain Serif drooled out, “I am too busy with work for time intensive leisure.”

“And I’m work!” Of all phrases to utter, of all things her exhausted brain could say, she is so proud of herself. It was perfect and, oh, so, very true. The captain has been chasing her since the beginning like a bone to a bitch. Him being the bone, and her the bitch. It was the start of the bone uprising; nevermore shall it be “like a dog to a bone”.

The look she received from Bae was…indescribable with a side of incredulous. Napstablook was only momentarily stumped. Though maybe she is projecting onto them for stress relief. That may cause some issues further down the line if she didn’t watch herself. Don’t want to get Stockholm syndrome or some bullshit like that.

“Why, yes…and what a…fine piece of work you are. You know human, I’ve been documenting your escapade with the help of our wonderfully sadistic Royal Scientist. And I must say-“

“Please don’t, you’re using up all the usable air down here.”

The sound of a record screeching to a halt was somehow heard.

“Excuse me? D-“

“You’re excused.” Simple, low brow, elementary school comebacks flowed freely from loose lips. And it was working. She was told that no one liked a smart mouth, or that sarcasm was the lowest form of humor. One day it was going to bite her in the ass, well she didn’t think there would be any biting today, maybe a chance of bombs and chain saws if what the stagehands were carrying were any inclination. Loose lips sink ships, and it’s only appropriate that as the captain of her own life to go down with her ship of questionable life choices. She was already taking on water way before she fell. The lifeboats had been unknowingly let loose, and now her decent into the waters was moments away.

Impowered by the aghast vibes from those around her and the something in her chest. She grabbed one of the levitating hands turned it palm up and put her crushed plastic bottle in it, “Yo, could you maybe do me a solid, and recycle that. I can’t really move from this spot to find the appropriate bin, and I was thinking since, you’re a tin can, you would know where the recycling is. Since ya know, you sleep there with your recycled music.”

As if on cue, the music shifted slightly, the Monsters knowing it was a change in tracks, but to the human it was the second verse same as the first. A tight smile appeared on Napstablook’s face, attempting to keep composed “Human, my audial receptors must have been malfunctioning, all I heard you say was, “Kill me now.” The hand with the bottle in it clenched and the plastic crinkled when he said “now.”

Making her face to look pondering “Hmm, yeah, no, you heard right. But if you follow through with my wishes now you won’t have a real live human for your posturing segment that you’re undoubtably setting up for. I’m not blind to the fact that my time is running out, well my ticker is already gone.” She raised her wrist to enunciate the joke by revealing her broken watch, attached to a thick leather band. “I get it, I get it. Humans bad, so when given the chance make ‘em suffer while also glorifying your Monarchy, leader, whatever is going on here.”

“But you Napsy, you have gone too far. You have monopolized the entertainment industry. You have built up your propaganda empire, you have stifled any outside creative development, you have placed the populous in a state of monotonous stimuli. All that I can forgive. But Napsy...” she trailed off, hoping he'll take the bait.

“What?” He growled out.

“…Techno?”

A high-pitched squealing noise that only a machine can make was let lose. Stopping all movement and background noise throughout the immediate building as the lights flickered and equipment stuttered with a fluctuating power input. The tin can’s face exhibited the most astounding example of precision engineering and countless hours to get it to contort like that. The software alone has to have had a massive team coding it, and countless hours.

Ah, it was a game of chicken, well too bad for him, her goose is half cooked, but sure, she’ll stare him down like she just doesn’t care.

“Captain Serif, a floor in my hotel has been secured for the human and your guards. It will take some time for the preparations to finish, three days at the most. We don’t want to waste this glorious opportunity so everything must be fitting for the glorious example of our Queen’s might.” A cruel grin split across Nastablook’s face.

Her stomach dropped the last millimeter. Well, there goes any probability of a quick end. A cold sweat pricked along her back and with forced bravado, a grim grin of flagging determination graced her own face.

With her eyes locked with Napstablook she was ignorant to the weary stares around her. Dirty, near beaten, with exhaustion that was clear to read dissipated in an instant. These Monsters were no strangers to desperation or bravado to save face to live another day. They were weaned on the propaganda of a human’s might, how the Monster race needed to transcend their limitations to combat their greatest foe. So, seeing a human, at their lowest statistically speaking, suddenly obtaining a staggering surge in points was fear inducing. A human’s command over their physiology and the matter around them was staggering and awe inspiring.

When Undyne contacted Sans about the human exiting the ruins, she graciously reiterated known facts about humans. Partly in a condescending manner and the other part from the apparent need to rant and rave about humans’ biology and how magic may or may not affect them.

The textbooks, rewritten and or approved by Undyne for circulation, say that most humans usually lack the ability to conscientiously interact with their intent to manipulate magic willingly. Their physical body dampens any natural magic, also known as wild magic, from freely flowing through their soul, thus causing a human soul to be directly exposed to the ambient magic around them near super charging them. This is theorized to be why a human soul remains for prolonged time frames even after expiration. The lack of intent regulation with humans means that it may take a while for the soul to realize that it’s without a host. A human soul will literally not know its body has died and will continue to “live” until enough ambient magic is absorbed, and the soul explode from the trapped magic.

“O-only in the o-older texts, fro-om the war mention that pheno-nomenon. What I wou-wouldn’t give to-to reenact it in my lab! Unlike Monsters so-souls which inherently have the M-membrane to-to naturally filter in and o-out the different magical frequencies. Maybe a human so-oul can only take in magic and can’t release it auto-tomatically. The magic may enter the so-oul but there’s apparently no-no way for the magic to-to leave the so-oul. This is where the bod-body o-o-of the human comes in!” Undyne ranted through Sans’ phone. He would have ended the call much sooner but eventually Alphys would hear of it and made his life difficult. And unfortunately, Undyne would mention a piece of information that was appreciated, in between a lot that wasn’t appreciated.

“My co-olleagues will argue, but the leading theory is that the trapped magic is filtered along the blo-blood thro-ough the human’s heart o-o-organ, which is usually the nearest oo-organ the so-soul resides by. The human’s heart is apparently a pump for blo-blod to-to mo-ove abo-out the bod-body. It additionally, filters in and o-o-out oxygen and carbo-on diox-oxide fro-om what human’s call the circulator-tory system.” Sans was thankful that he was in the middle of a solo patrol near Rockfall Caverns, north of Snowdin when Undyne called. He could just feel his posture slump with disinterest at her incessant need to explain her theory. “It is during this transition-on that magic is also-so filtered o-o-out thro-ough the blood stream to eventually pass through the bod-body and o-o-out of the human. O-o-once the magic reaches the blood stream it’s unknown o-o-of how the magic is ejected! Maybe the Queen will give me the human’s bod-body when the so-oul is retrieved.”

Sans sent a small prayer to the Angle to let Undyne be finished – “Ano-Another hypo-pothesis is-“Sans gave a mental curse. “-that since the human so-oul can con-continue past their expiration of the bod-body, if the so-oul’s con-connection to-o-o the bod-body is severed before-forehand, the human bod-body sho-ould con-continue _living_.” Undyne stressed at the end. Sans had to agree, a strange phenomenon fit for a devastating being.

Devastating is not the adjective Sans would use to describe this human: a nuisance and slippery, yes; devastating: no. The human in front of him was not what he imagined a devastating human would act or even look like. Unfortunately, he was still tasked with gaining as much information about the human’s mannerisms as possible. Anything that would be deemed useful for the initiable exodus from the Underground. Thus, the constant checks either he or an underling preformed. The last time he debriefed Undyne she salivated at the information. He could have lived his life without hearing her slurp her saliva. A human with the standard LV 1 base stats with known modifiers, having their stats surge near instantaneously. That is what Sans considers devastating.

It was going to be a long night. Already, he had backlog of paperwork debriefing the human’s stent in Waterfall, and he has not even started with documenting the incident with Grillby. Let alone having to document the new interaction with Napstablook. Sans’ LV stirred within his being at the mounting stress, he wished he could strike the human down now. Thinking of the reports that he’ll have to write and send to Undyne made the audible memory of her gag inducing slurping echo in his head. Which was effective in containing his growing ire.

>   
>  “Human”  
>  “Is looking out for number 1.”  
>  LV 1 (x2) 2 Modified  
>  HP 15/20 (+4 to base false LV) (x2) 36/48 Modified  
>  AT 10 (+2 false LV) (+2 item) (x2 trait) 28 Modified  
>  DF 10 (+6) (x2) 22 Modified  
>  EXP 0 (x2) 0 Modified*  
>  NEXT 10 (x2) 20 Modified  
>  Weapon: Fists and feet; she has two hands and two feet! Increased AT by 2  
>  Armor: Sturdy cargo pants; pants with 8 pockets! Increased inventory space by 8 and DEF by 6  
>  Gold: 0  
>  Perseverance Trait: Gritty Stamina; The resolve to see the resolution, second time’s the charm, times 2 to all traits. Side effect; False Level of Violence: Only interest is survival, and fuck anyone else. Decreases speed as time prolongs. Cost: Inability to move for one day and 3 day(s) cool down before next use.  
>  *Warning: When the Next amount requirement is fulfilled with Gritty Stamina activated the EXP gained will double.
>
>> Undyne clenched the newest reports of the human to her chest in elation and let out the highest pitched screeched of joy her underlings have ever heard. She surged from her seat with a serotonin high and reread the reports with love-stricken eyes. This new information is invaluable to preparing her petition to the Queen to release the human’s body for Undyne to study-and ultimately the war effort. What a fortuitous development!

She snatched her phone from its place next to her tea. Composing herself with a few short breaths in and longer exhalations she dialed Napstablook.

“Why, isn’t it my most favorite listener Undyne!” Came Napstablook’s usual greeting, “Can you make it quick? I’m a bit busy with setting things up. An opportunity like this doesn’t happen a lot you know.”

Undyne’s fangs dominated her face with how far her smile stretched, “I have so-ome new infor-formatio-on on the human from Captain Sans. And I was wo-wondering if you-you co-could squeeze in so-some tests for-for me. Since an o-o-opportunity like this do-doesn’t happen a lo-ot you-you kno-ow.”

A pause occurred on Napstablooks’ end before he enquiringly asked, “Will it make them hurt?”

“Undoubtedly.”


End file.
